{"id":237,"date":"2017-01-12T15:36:35","date_gmt":"2017-01-12T14:36:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.vostel.de\/en\/2017\/01\/12\/5-irrtuemer-ueber-corporate-volunteering\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T14:12:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T13:12:03","slug":"5-mistakes-concerning-corporate-volunteering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vostel.de\/blog\/en\/5-mistakes-concerning-corporate-volunteering\/","title":{"rendered":"5 mistakes concerning Corporate Volunteering"},"content":{"rendered":"

In October 2015, S\u00fcddeutsche Zeitung<\/a> stated that \u201eA growing number of organisations support the social commitment of their employees: it\u2019s called \u201acorporate volunteering.\u2018\u201c<\/em> Part of daily business in the US already, corporate volunteering only just started emerging on an increasing number of senior level agendas outside the US: demonstrating corporate responsibility by allowing employees to dedicate a certain number of hours to non profit projects. This enables them to work in refugee camps, animal care homes or community gardens. Individual assignments, group activities (so-called \u201esocial days\u201c) or skill based pro bono commitment – there are many possibilities for organisations to develop corporate social responsibility. The positive effects of corporate volunteering are well-known: non profit organisations receive support from corporate volunteers, employees collect new experiences and go back to work equipped with new motivation. As for the corporation, it benefits from the employee\u2019s experiences \u2014 a win win situation for everyone involved?<\/p>\n

Yes and no. Just because something was meant well doesn\u2019t actually mean it was done well. Through our work with non profits, volunteers and corporations, we have come across some pitfalls and mistakes that influence the effectiveness of corporate volunteering \u2014 and a few possibilities to deal with them.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mistake No 1: \u201eThe more employees who volunteer the better\u201c<\/h2>\n

Requests for projects involving 50 employees or more is something that we receive frequently. However, it is often ignored that the number of people is not necessarily related to the effectiveness and actual help provided.<\/p>\n

Many organisations are simply not able to provide the spatial or personal capacities to receive a big group of people. Big groups also imply big efforts in terms of coordination which makes it very difficult for the organisation itself to actually work on daily business. (Often this is where meaning well doesn\u2019t have the desired impact but turns into the opposite of what was planned.)<\/p>\n

Our tip: Create small groups and support a number of different projects. Generally, it has proven useful to select one person from the team who becomes responsible for the project making arrangements with the organisation in advance and managing the team on the day of the event. There is a handful of experienced and competent partners who can offer support like Visioneers<\/a> for refugee support and us from vostel<\/a> for social days and the placement of individuals.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mistake No 2: \u201eOur employees have come to work, not for fun\u201c<\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, some corporations only consider corporate volunteering as a means for image improvement not taking into consideration the actual needs of their employees. This often implies that team building activities and food or drinks are not thought of for the corporate volunteering project. The feedback provided by participants is then proof that this is not the place to save money: no employee will be happy to go to a \u201elabor camp\u201c and a snack for in-between should not lead any company to the verge of bankruptcy. Hungry volunteers lacking enthusiasm do not bring added value to any organisation or social project.<\/p>\n

Our tip: Always include some money for food and drinks in the budget. Keep in mind that additional manpower will be needed \u2014 either internal staff or external partners \u2014 to guarantee support and motivation on site on the day of the event.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mistake No 3: \u201eWhy should we pay money for the social commitment of our employees?\u201c<\/h2>\n

The annual budgets of corporations include money that can be allocated for trainings, language courses and team events in order to keep employees happy and to help them develop professionally. Corporate volunteering has a positive impact in many areas: competency and skill development, staff retention, employee motivation, corporate social responsibility etc. In order to actually take advantage of these positive impacts and to make everybody involved happy \u2014 non profits, employees and, last but not least, the employer \u2014 it is not only a matter of having the right instinct for people\u2019s needs. Efforts in terms of organisation and coordination should not be underestimated in order to avoid that the social day happens at the expense of the social actor which means that them going about their daily business is impossible. Tasks that come up for a social day:<\/p>\n